AMD’s Ryzen 5 has been the go-to for a lot of users, both in the first and the second generation. It seems like it’s the same situation with the third generation and the Zen 2 architecture as well, with the Ryzen 5 3600 being a great bang for the buck model for anyone, from gamers, to creatives, to streamers.
So, what does it offer? Being the slightly cheaper variant of the Ryzen 5 3600X, the Ryzen 5 3600 has slightly slower clock speeds. The base clock is 3.6 GHz, but if you find this not enough power, it can go up to 4.2 GHz, which should have you covered. When it comes to streaming, this, along with the 6 cores and 12 threads, allows the 3600 to give you great performance.
The CPU is made on the TSMC 7nm FinFET process and uses AMD’s familiar AM4 socket, for which there are quite a lot of motherboards out there. This is an unlocked CPU, so overclocking is certainly a possibility, but it may be smart to get a liquid cooler and replace the included Wraith Stealth. There’s also dual-channel memory support at 3200 Mhz, but fast memory is a necessity for great performance, so keep that in mind. All things considered, this may very well be the CPU to go for streamers on a budget.
Ryzen 5 3600 Specs:
Architecture | Zen 2 |
Socket | AM4 |
Cores / Threads | 6 / 12 |
Base Frequency / Boost Frequency | 3.6 GHz / 4.2 GHz |
Memory Speed / Controller | 3200 MHz / Dual-Channel |
Cache | 32MB |
Integrated Graphics | None |
Unlocked Multiplier | Yes |
TDP | 65W |
Process | 7nm |
Pros:
Great multi-core multitasking performance
Excellent for 720p and good for 1080p streaming
Great for 1080p and 1440p gaming
Considerably cheaper than the 3600X above
Cons:
N/A